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Flight Attendants Fight to Save Security Rules
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA is fighting proposed revisions in security rules that would allow air passengers to again carry such items on board as scissors, razor blades, some knives and even bows and arrows.
AFA-CWA filed a formal complaint this week with the Transportation Security Administration in response to the TSA's recent announcement that it will review proposals next month that could drastically roll back current security procedures.
"These insane proposals put every flight attendant at risk every time they go to work," AFA-CWA President Patricia Friend said. "The fact that the TSA shared these proposals with the press before discussing them with those who would be most affected is outrageous."
According to an internal TSA document, officials are proposing to lift the ban on various carry-on items, including knives less than five inches long and ice picks. The TSA suggests that reinforced cockpit doors, air marshals and more vigilant passengers now adequately protect the public against a September 11-style hijacking, launched by terrorists with box cutters.
But AFA leaders and members say even if the potential weapons aren't used to hijack a plane, they can still be used to terrorize people on board. "As the front-line personnel with little or no effective security training or means of self defense, such weapons could prove fatal to our members," Friend said in a letter to new TSA head Edmund S. "Kip" Hawley. "They may not assist in breaking through a flight-deck door, but they could definitely lead to the deaths of flight attendants and passengers."
The TSA is also suggesting that certain individuals, such as airline pilots and Congressional leaders, be exempt from airport security screenings, another change AFA opposes for safety reasons.
AFA-CWA filed a formal complaint this week with the Transportation Security Administration in response to the TSA's recent announcement that it will review proposals next month that could drastically roll back current security procedures.
"These insane proposals put every flight attendant at risk every time they go to work," AFA-CWA President Patricia Friend said. "The fact that the TSA shared these proposals with the press before discussing them with those who would be most affected is outrageous."
According to an internal TSA document, officials are proposing to lift the ban on various carry-on items, including knives less than five inches long and ice picks. The TSA suggests that reinforced cockpit doors, air marshals and more vigilant passengers now adequately protect the public against a September 11-style hijacking, launched by terrorists with box cutters.
But AFA leaders and members say even if the potential weapons aren't used to hijack a plane, they can still be used to terrorize people on board. "As the front-line personnel with little or no effective security training or means of self defense, such weapons could prove fatal to our members," Friend said in a letter to new TSA head Edmund S. "Kip" Hawley. "They may not assist in breaking through a flight-deck door, but they could definitely lead to the deaths of flight attendants and passengers."
The TSA is also suggesting that certain individuals, such as airline pilots and Congressional leaders, be exempt from airport security screenings, another change AFA opposes for safety reasons.